The Story of Us
by Jess1e.123
Summary: This is a story about Jess (OC) and her time with Fred Weasley *previously posted on quotev*
1. Chapter 1

I sat quietly in the lunch hall, I knew that Eliza wouldn't even be up for another hour so I had come to breakfast by myself when my stomach had started sounding like a dying whale. It was 7 o-clock on a Friday so the hall was practically empty, leaving me to eat my lukewarm toast and jam alone at the Gryffindor table. Being alone had never been something I disliked, but I much preferred being around people; with no one to talk to I just sat and thought about how best to avoid homework I had yet to complete.

It was the last week before we all left for Christmas, which meant that there was going to be a party later on in the common room so lots of people were trying to stock up on the hours of sleep they would miss out on later. I was only planning on going because Eliza wanted me to, and I never found it easy to sleep in so I didn't bother trying. There were also no classes and the teachers expected us to get ready to leave for the train tomorrow, which left at 12, so it was had become a day for everyone to get themselves ready for the party.

Making my way back to the common room which glittered with reds and golds that hung from the tall ceiling, I saw Fred and George Weasley bickering secretively just outside the common room door. Since I was only friends with them through Angelina who had started dating one of them earlier this year, I decided that it would be better if I left them to themselves.

That plan however quickly flew out of the window when I fell up the top step, my ankle cracking as I fell.

"Ow, FUCK!"

At that they turned to look at me, both with looks of shock plastered to their faces.

"FUCK, FUCKING FUCKETY FUCK FUCK!"

That raised an eyebrow.

"Jess, are you okay over there?" said Fred, his eyebrow rising further.

I moved so that I was sat on the step and glared at my swelling ankle, "I think I broke my ankle." It came out sounding surprisingly neutral, like I hadn't just yelled fuck and its multiple variations rather colourfully. A deep sigh escaped my mouth, I knew that I should be in pain, a lot of pain for that matter, but I just felt numb, like I had been dropped in ice water. Give it a few minutes and I would feel it, I just had to make it to the hospital wing before had.

"Jess? Are you okay?" Fred's voice came again. I must have said my previous answer quieter than I had thought.

"Yes, the string of swears was just for the heck of it." That brought a smile to his lips. "I have to get to the hospital wing."

The two shared a devilish look before approaching, something in their eyes told me that I wouldn't like what was going to happen next. One on either side of me, they stooped down simultaneously and lifted me up. I wasn't exactly light, but between the two of them I appeared to weigh less than a feather, I must have looked quite the sight though. By the time we had gotten to the hospital wing, my ankle was throbbing painfully.

Though the twins had been making idle gossip with me for the first minute or so, they had stopped once they saw my face begin to twist as the numbness began to fade from my ankle. They set me down on one of the empty beds while Fred went to go get Madame Pomfrey.

"So George, how's life?"

He gave me an incredulous look as if to say "we talked yesterday", but decided that he would simply answer so as to avoid any awkward tension that there may be. "Good, me and Freddy managed to sneak in some firewiskey for the party, so that's gonna start some shit," he continued to tell me about what he had planned for tonight, then slowly transitioned into talking about Angelina (big surprise there), which is about the time Madame Pomfrey appeared with Fred.

"So you fell up the stairs then?" she asked, though it was clear she knew everything already, I nodded either way. "Let's have a look then shall we?" again, a statement. She umm-ed and ah-ed for a bit before tottering off to find something to fix my ankle, which was now about the size of a quaffle. Both of the twins gave me an uncertain look, as if they weren't sure what to do next.

"So, you coming to the party then?" Fred asked, he looked awkward and lost.

"Yeah, guess I wouldn't get much sleep either way so I might as well enjoy myself." A smirk tugged at the corners of my mouth.

"Guess that makes sense," he replied, his tone lace with something I didn't recognise in him.

"You two can go, just save some firewiskey for me." they both looked at each other, unsure of what to say. While George rose from the seat that he had taken, Fred seemed to hesitate longer.

"I'll stay, you might need some help getting back up the stairs, I mean, you couldn't even walk up them right before you screwed your ankle over," he jested, but there seemed to be something behind the words that I couldn't quite place.

"Okay, I have to meet Angelina for lunch, see you two later," he gave his brother a smile, before glancing at me and leaving the room.

"You really don't have to stay."

"It's okay, I'd rather not watch the lovebirds suck face while I'm eating anyway." He smirked at that, his eyes twinkled as I returned a smile.

"Yeah, they do know how to put you off don't they?" He let out a small chuckle, which seemed to travel in the air around us.

Madame Pomfrey came scuttling back to my bedside with a tray of potions in assorted scents and colours. "So you've only twisted it, but you might want to be careful next time." She handed me a white bubbling potion which smelled strongly of vanilla, which I swallowed quickly and put the glass back on the bedside table she had retrieved it from. "And I recommend taking it easy on that for the next few days." This time she handed me a potion which seemed to change colours in the light, and smelled like the inside of an old sock, I held my breath and tried to ignore the thick slimy texture as it crawled down my throat. "I'll be back in ten minutes to see if you are ready to go." Her nod was absolute as she said this.

"Really you don't have to stay, I'll be fine."

"For heaven's sake Jessica I'm staying and you are just going to have to deal with that." He looked concerned and irritated that I was so insistent that he left. "Every damsel needs a knight in shining armour."

I'm not sure why, but I started to laugh at how pouty he had sounded in that last sentence, like a young child who had been told that he couldn't have the last cookie. I looked at his face and how dumbfounded he was by my sudden spell of laughter, and it just made me laugh harder. A smile spread across his face, and soon he was laughing along with me.

After a good few minutes we slowly stopped laughing, but still both were smiling ear to ear, "You know Freddy, you are really sweet." I wasn't quite sure why I said it, of course it was true, but why did it come out of my mouth, seemingly he was just as surprised by my statement as I was. We sat, both quiet and wondering what to say next. "Guess I kinda made that a bit weird didn't I."

"Just didn't expect it," he muttered, barely audible but there all the same. "Anyway, what are you going to do over the Christmas break?" And just like that we fell back into comfortable conversation, nothing weird popped up at all.

As she had said she would, Madame Pomfey came and dismissed me after the time, at which point my ankle had shrunk considerably and didn't hurt when I moved it. Fred however was having none of it, and insisted he carry me, after a short discussion I stated that I would only accept if it was a piggy back ride, and he accepted because he didn't want me to hurt myself, again.

So up we went, he managed the entire climb up to the Gryffindor tower without even breaking a sweat, having missed lunch Fred took me up to his dorm room to eat away the last of his stash of sweets, healthy I know.

He dropped me down onto one of the beds and pulled a box out from under another one placing it next to me. A smirk played at the corners of his lips, he opened it to reveal that it was in fact full of a wide assortment to sweets, from fizzing wizzbees to sherbet lemons.

"That's a lot of sweets Fred." I said, I sounded impressed, I could hear it practically dripping off of my tounge. He only smiled, obviously pleased with himself.

We sat and talked, eating away at the stash of sweets that sat between us, laughing at stories of their pranks, discussing our futures, and just enjoying each other's company. At 4 o-clock I had to go back to the girls dorm to help Angelina get ready, she was struggling with her dress and was not happy, as evident by her screeches. I walked myself this time, because Fred knew that he couldn't get up to the girl's dorms, though I had seen Fred sneak up there enough times to know that they both knew how, they just didn't want to share. So I decided that I would get ready for the party while I was up there, and then Angelina and Eliza could help me, just four hours to get ready, they were ecstatic, I was their own personal doll.


	2. Chapter 2

8 o-clock. The party was starting now, and I was still being tormented by my room-mates. I hardly ever wore makeup, or curled my hair, but apparently it was really fun for them, as they had been at it for nearly two hours after they had both been mostly ready. I had managed to talk them into letting me wear jeans instead to a quite frankly atrocious dress, but they then decided between themselves that I would wear a push-up bra and a t-shirt that was about two sizes too small.

Eventually they decided that I was done, my lips were a deep red, but other than that I looked surprisingly normal, my lashes longer and darker, but that about rounded it off. My hair was wavy as opposed to its usual straight, and it came to just above were the high-waisted jeans stopped. I didn't look like myself but at the same time I did.

With that I was dragged down the stairs, I just wanted to get my hands on the firewhiskey and start going at it. But when I got down there, Fred and George weren't anywhere to be seen, I knew that they had it, but where were they?

It was 9 o-clock before they showed, but they didn't bring a bottle with them. After seeing that I was looking at them, George looked at me and beckoned me over, I complied if only to try and find the drink.

"We aren't gonna stay down here, you go get Angelina and Eliza and meet us in our dorm," George said into my ear. I nodded to show that I understood, and went off to find the two of them.

After around fifteen minutes I had them both on the way to the boy's dorm, Eliza hadn't been happy that she had had to stop her make-out session with a hot guy in the year above us, but at the prospect of a drink drastically altered her opinion.

When we made it to the dorm it already sounded like they weren't so sober, I pushed the other two ahead of me and entered the room that was practically identical to how it had been when I had come up here with Fred earlier, albeit there were more people in it now than before.

"So girlies, we were thinking truth, dare or drink to start, then see where the night takes us, any objections?" stated Fred, and since no one objected he simply announced that he would start. "Soo… Jess, truth or dare?"

"Dare." Which caused him to raise an eyebrow, making me regret it, but I wasn't going to let him know that, so I just raised my eyebrow right back at him.

"I dare you, to…" he looked around the room, looking for inspiration. "Um…. Kiss Lee." I hadn't even noticed Lee was in the room until that point.

"Kay," I hopped off of the bed I was say on, went over to Lee and pecked him on the cheek, before returning to my original seat. "George, truth or dare?" I could feel Fred scowl that I had only half done the dare but ignore him.

"Truth."

"Gods, you are boring. What is the thing you are most afraid of?"

"Not living." He was staring at Angelina as he said this, it was cute dint get me wrong, but it was a little corny how they look at each other like that. "Lee, truth or dare?"

"Um, truth…"

"Who do you like?" George raised his eyebrow as he said it.

"And I'm gonna drink." He stated and he took swig from the bottle that sat in the middle of the floor.

"Oooooh, Lee can I have your turn to ask?" Eliza practically squealed. Without even waiting for him to answer she leapt into asking Fred.

"Dare." He looked straight into my eyes as he said it, as if trying to be defiant.

"Snog Jess." She said it with such glee that I could barely process it, I glared at her. "Oh please Jess, I mean so what if its your first, I'm sure Freddy is great." Her smile did not help the situation as my face turned scarlet.

"Come on then," Fred took my hand and dragged me into the small bathroom just off of the bedroom, my heart leapt into my throat. "Look, we don't have to, just smear some lipstick on me and we can just pretend that we did." He said in a conspiratorial whisper as we closed the door behind us.

"Um, actually, I mean, because we are friends and all I kind of was wondering if we could, get it out of the way," I just word spewed all over him.

"Are you sure?" I nod, though I'm uncertain.

Taking my face gently in his hand, he tilted it upwards so that I was looking him in his beautiful brown eyes. He slowly brought his face to mine before his lips fell onto mine, I could tell that he was trying to hold back, so slowly I began to move my face with his. I felt his tongue flick across my lips, so I opened my mouth, unsure of what else I wanted to do, so I followed what he did, picking up that my tongue would move into his mouth, but gods did he taste good. He tasted like sweets and whiskey, and the flavours danced inside my mouth as butterflies danced in my stomach.

And before I could think any further I felt him begin to pull away, I started to follow before I felt his hand move from my face to my lower back. "Easy there tiger," a low chuckle escaped his lips as he said it. "You gotta pace yourself."

I pouted at this, before I got a look at his face, to see the lipstick smeared across his face. "I'm sorry," I said as I began to chuckle, reaching up to try and wipe some of the colour away with my thumb, before he grabbed my hand. Now I really just wanted to kiss him again.

"Don't bother cleaning up halfway through love." Just like that his hands were around my waist and his lips on mine, my thoughts nowhere else but on him. We began moving backwards towards the counter, as he lifted me up onto it, my legs around him. My stomach was doing backflips, I was kissing Fred Weasley.

There was a knock on the door. "You have got to be kidding me," Fred muttered into my ear as he pulled away.

"Um guys, are you two going to come back?" came a small voice from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, give us a minute." I looked at Fred apologetically, I didn't really want to go back out there, but I knew that people would start thinking we did more that kiss in here the longer we stayed.

"Okay, because I think George and Angie are gonna need the bathroom soon." I practically leapt to my feet, I didn't want to think about them together, like that. Apparently not wanting to think of something means that it becomes the only thing you can think about, so I just tried to focus on Fred, just looking at him, his nose was slightly up turned at the end, and his eyes had a dark splodge of brown in one of them.

"Guess we gotta go then," Fred sounded as disappointed as I felt, but he still took my hand and lead me from the bathroom back into the dorm, which smelled like someone had doused it in firewhiskey.

"Took ya long enough," Lee slurred from across the room, he was so drunk that he had started to suck his thumb as he lay face down on his bed.

"So, we still playing or are you guys gone?" I asked, trying not to sound bitter. They were all off their heads while I hadn't even had a drink yet and they all looked so darn happy. When I didn't get a response I grabbed the bottle from the middle of the room and went to sit on Fred's bed, he looked at me like he wasn't sure how to react to that. He decided that it couldn't do any harm to sit beside me.

But as we sat there, I felt myself wanting him, his voice, his hands, the way he looked at me, I wanted that. We passed the bottle between the two of us, talking and laughing, losing track of time. I felt happy and safe with him.

After hours I didn't even feel myself fall asleep, I just closed my eyes and slipped into a comfortable sleep, dreaming of nothing and peace.


	3. Chapter 3

I woke up after when I felt something move beside me, I didn't want to wake up yet, I wasn't done sleeping. So I just snuggled closer to the warm body beside me, a hand began to stroke my hair away from my face.

"Jess?" it was barely a whisper, so I just hummed in response. "Jess, are you going to get up any time soon?" the question, though laced with sarcasm, it also seemed like he didn't mind what I said in response.

"I'm up," I said burrowing deeper into his side, pulling the blanket that was wrapped around me. I was too warm to get up. A chuckle vibrated his chest as he continued to play with my hair.

"You know, the last train leaves in two hours," he said. That was it, I had to get ready, I probably looked like crap, and I was going to be stuck at school over the holidays. My hair had decided that it would stick up almost vertically, drawing a laugh from Fred, whose hair was sitting as perfectly as always, it wasn't fair. "It's okay, chill." He laughed, "that was a slight exaggeration."

"Oh," now my top half wasn't covered by blanket and I was cold. "That wasn't very nice," I pouted at him and tried to pull the blanket back onto me.

"Jess you need to get up, you need to eat love," he said with an eyebrow raised at my attempts to get the blanket out from his strong grip.

"Give me the blanket you goose." I sounded like a baby, but I just really wanted that bloody blanket. I was pulling on the blanket repeatedly trying to no avail to retrieve it from his grasp. "If you give me the blanket I will go get food," he relinquished all hold he had had on the fluffy blanket, and I nearly fell backwards off of the bed. Catching myself as I grabbed onto his arm, I squealed so high pitched that I'm fairly certain only dogs could hear.

"Now to food," he got up off the bed, and looked at me expectantly. So I just sat and pulled the blanket tighter around myself, pretending that I had no idea that he was giving me a look. Before I could react he wrapped his arms around me tightly and lifted me off of the bed.

"Fred. Put me down! FRED!" I squirmed in his arms just trying to escape from his grasp at some point carrying me bridal style became too difficult as I wriggled so he instead flung me over his shoulder, all the while I was wrapped in the fuzzy blanket.

To say that I had received a few weird looks on the way down to the great hall would be an understatement, despite having given up resisting; I still was a girl hanging over the shoulders of one of the tall muscled twins. "You ready to come down now?" Fred asked, I could hear the smirk.

"Yes," I said, tone neutral. With that he set me down onto the cold stone floor outside the hall, I didn't want to go into the hall, but I was far too lazy to walk back up the stairs so I proceeded through the doors, Fred following closely behind me. As we approached Angelina and George they both turned to glance in our direction, their smiles slipping off into a look of confusion. "He carried me out of bed." Though it didn't seem to satisfy their curiosity, they both turned back to their plates and continued to eat.

I sat down heavily opposite the two of them, Fred taking his place beside me as he began to pile his plate high with a wide variety of breakfast foods while I just sat and glared at his plate. "You gonna eat then?" he asked me in between heaping mouthfuls of food. I just scrunched my nose at him, I wasn't hungry thanks to the drinking I had done the night before, "Jess, you gotta eat, you said that if I gave you the blanket that you would have food."

"No I didn't," he gave me a look that said that if I didn't eat that it was going to end up with me on the pointed end of another prank. Having already suffered having bright pink hair for nearly a month, I didn't feel like doing that again so I grabbed a piece of toast and began eating it as I looked at him.

After eating the slice of dry toast, I tucked my legs up onto the bench and leant precariously against the table, looking on as Fred scoffed his face with yet another meat variation. He looked over at me mid chew and the food nearly fell from his mouth, "like what ya see princess?" he asked, sarcasm ringing on each syllable. He smirked at me, but with the amount of food he had in his mouth it was distorted and looked like he was considering murder most foul.

"Oh yeah, love to get me a hot slice of that," my eyebrows raised and a smile tugged at my mouth as he coughed and turned red, it looked like he was going to choke but he stared at George as he recovered, having a silent conversation. At that I began a conversation with Angelina who was sat across from me at the table, discussing her holiday plans, most of which were with George, and what presents she had gotten for her family, as I half payed attention. After half an hour, I excused myself, I still had to pack away my stuff before the train left, so even then I would have to be ready for 11:30 so that I could help Eliza, who I was fairly certain was still sleeping in the boy's dorm, which is where she had been when Fred had carried me out.

The common room was relatively intact compared to what was expected, given that nearly a quarter of the school's population had gotten drunk in it the night before; the thick red rug had rotated so that in now sat precariously up against the fireplace, which was full of sweet wrappers and paper cups, the couch that sat in front of it housed three seventh years who had passed out together on top of each other, I hoped I wouldn't end up like that next year, mouth gaping, drooling for everyone who entered the room to see.

I was still thinking about next year when I made my way up to the boys dorm, it wouldn't hurt to get Eliza up, she would take a while to get up properly any way. Pushing the door open I saw something I didn't want to see, so I turned around and slammed the door; I ran down the stairs, trying to focus on anything other than what I had just seen. The image of Eliza and Lee as naked as the day they were born in a tangled mess of limbs was fused to my eyes.

So I started packing away my stuff, all the while trying not to think of what I had just seen, I packed in record time and made my way back to the common room just as Fred, George and Angelina entered the room. "Don't go to your room." I practically yelled it at the boys who both looked at me like I was insane, "don't do it if you value your eyesight." This just left them more confused than they had been before.

"Umm…"

"Why not?"

"They were, together."

They both looked at me confused for a moment before their faces dropped, "No." Came their voices in unison, as their eyes widened. I suffer, they suffer with me.


	4. Chapter 4

We sat in the train cabin, Fred and George discussing their plans for the next array of "sweets" to work on during the holidays, while I just sat and read a book about the muggle legends about witchcraft, which I will admit fascinated me. After an hour or so I excused myself to go and find the trolley again, I hadn't bought anything the first time but now my stomach was complaining and I felt that I should quiet the whale calls for the good of the group.

"Hey Jess, wait up," I heard a voice call as I left the carriage. I turned to see Fred and let out a sigh of relief, I was not ready to look Eliza or Lee in the face. "You okay? You seem a little off."

"Oh yeah, just mentally scared by the image of two of my friends getting it on," I smiled as I said it, but there was truth sitting behind the words as I tried not to remember what I had seen. "Anyway, what you going to do over the holidays?"

"I'm going to work on some stuff with George, but Angie" he said her name so sarcastically sweetly that I could practically taste it hanging in the air, "is coming over for the last week so I don't think we will be getting much done then. What about you?"

"Not much actually, my older sister is back for the holidays, but she is leaving boxing day so then its just me and my parents I guess." I sounded really sad when I said that, I hadn't meant to.

"Oh, well you know you are always welcome with us, in fact you could just chill with us for the last week, I mean mum said we could have anyone that we wanted over and I'd rather not be stuck with the lovebirds alone."

"I don't know Fred…"

"Please, you could help me with the stuff to sell, and we could study," he uttered the word with such disgust it was painful; "it'll be fun."

"I will ask my parents then," though I hadn't minded spending time with my parents, spending too much time with them could be rather intense to say the least.

A smile dawned on his freckled face as his eyes crinkled in the corners, he nodded ahead to where the trolley was being pushed along. After buying a liquorice wand and a pack of bertie botts every flavour beans we made our way back to the cabin, discussing anything that popped into our minds, which mainly revolved around the prospect of me spending a week at the Weasley residence and what we would get up to. Upon arriving at the cabin I handed him a bean from the packet, and saw his face contort in disgust as he chewed, I could see he was trying not to gag at the flavour he still held in his mouth. Following multiple futile attempts to swallow the mush he so generously displayed, I saw him gulp and open his mouth as if to prove that he had managed not to spew the goo across the train, as he did I got a distinct smell of vomit on his breath and gagged.

"Well that looked fun," I muttered whilst trying not to wretch again.

"Oh yeah," he said, rolling his tongue around his mouth trying to extract the excess of the disgusting treat from his teeth. "And you know what?" a shit eating grin spreading across his face, "I'm more than happy to share." With that he began to chase me along the tight corridor beside the cabins, the threat following me along with the disgusting breath.

"Fred, no!" I yelped as he grabbed me from behind and breathed heavily on my face as I tried not to breathe.

"Don't you want to kiss me?" he breathed heavily on me with each breath. "It was so much fun last time."

"I don't want to kiss you while you have vomit breath you ass!" he let go of me, and as I turned to look at him his face looked confused, like he hadn't expected me to say that. "Sort that out and I'll gladly kiss you." My voice was challenging as his eyebrow rose to accept it, before I could think he was yelling for a breath mint.

I couldn't help but laugh at his behaviour, it took him less than a minute to get a mint from the bewildered first year in the cabin beside where we were standing, as he put it in his mouth I realised what was happening, I was going to kiss Fred Weasley, again. My stomach started filling with butterflies, the good kind that warmed you up and made you feel cosy. He turned to me with minty air drifting from his mouth, a grin playing upon his lips.

Reaching his hand towards my face, I felt him lean closer as I pushed myself towards him, eyes closing at the last possible moment as our lips touched, not as heated as the night before, but it made the butterflies flutter all the same as he kissed me, his hands resting on the small of my back and pulling me closer to him, my heart beat quickening as I felt him move. Why were we doing this? We were friends, things like this weren't supposed to happen, but I couldn't stop myself, not when it felt like this. Sparks slew down my spine as he moved his hand back to my face and began to pull away.

I opened my eyes to see his shimmering brown ones staring back at me, he pressed his forehead to mine and sighed, "What is this Jess?"

"I don't know yet."

"That's okay, we don't need to know, I mean who the heck will care anyway?"

A laugh escaped my mouth, I shook my head. "We are fine, that's what we are."

"We have to get back to the others," he said with disappointment in his tone, and as right as he was I just wanted to stand there with him next to me. I knew that if I had said anything I would have sounded pouty so I just nod and look at him, without saying anything, he just took my hand as we walked up the train carriage.

"What took you guys too long?" asked George a smirk on his face.

Fred looked at me before answering, "I just had a gross bertie bott." And we smiled at the little half truth.


	5. Chapter 5

The train pulled into the crowded station, the whistle startled me from my daze; I looked over to see Fred searching outside for his relatives, who all shared the vibrant red hair. I stood and grabbed my bag from the rails as everyone filed out of the carriage; I turned and bumped into Fred who was stood close to me. I felt my ears burn red as I tried to take a step backwards, but stopped when his hand wove it's way around my waist.

"Ask your parents." For a second I didn't know what he was talking about, me going to stay with his family for a week, but before I could start to object he said, "I know you want to spend time with your family but please, I'm sure my parents won't mind, I mean George gets to have his girlfriend over so they aren't going to have a problem with you."

"Okay, but it's not my fault what they respond with." He nodded at that and pecked me on the forehead, before pushing me out of the cabin.

I looked for my parents in the mass of people before me, after finding them I dismissed Fred who was still standing beside me, he gave a devilish smirk before wandering to the group of orange that was to our left. After he had gone I made my way to my parents who were stood awkwardly by one of the pillars, the always looked awkward when they were in here. So when I got closer to them and they noticed their faces lit up with relief.

"Oh honey, how've you been?" my mother grabbed me into a tight hug that squeezed the air from my lungs.

"Good, um," here goes. "I know that it's short notice but would I be able to go to the Weasley's with Angelina for a week at the end of the holidays?" This sparked a silent argument between my parents, my mum, wanting me to spend time with more people my age, eventually won out.

"Okay, but I want letters everyday while you are there, and you will have all of your stuff for school with you."

"Thank you both so much!" I pulled both of them into a tight hug as they chuckled to themselves. "I'll just go and tell them then." I excuse myself from the group and walk over to where the Weasleys were still gathered. As I approached the twins turned around, eerily synchronised, and I tried to keep a straight face.

"So?" I looked down, attempting to look disappointed. "That's okay."

"No it isn't, I'm stuck with you two loons for an extra week."

It took them a moment, but their faces lit up when they clocked onto what I had said. "Thank the heavens, I was not prepared to be tell mum my friend cancelled her last minute plans to stay with us."

"He was so excited that you might be coming that he practically begged mum to let you come, and Angie said she'll owl you later because she has girl stuff to discuss with you…" George added. A feeling of dread spread over me, girl stuff had a limited number of translations, I was ready to deal with a grand total of none of them; my dread must have shown on my face because they both chuckled at me.

"Oh, do you want your presents when I arrive or on Christmas?" Both of them simultaneously answer differently which was to be expected, "When I arrive it is." George groans while Fred just grins smugly. "Sorry, I kind of wanted to see your faces when you open them anyway."

"It's just because you prefer Fred."

"How dare you assume that I prefer him?"

"Am I not your favourite then?"

"Oh no you are, he's just not allowed to assume it."

"Ha!" Fred exclaimed before they began play fighting like two toddlers who both wanted the toy. This continued before a short, older woman coughed in our direction, from the way they reacted I assumed it was there mother.

"Boys," her tone cautionary before she noticed me, hidden behind their tall bodies, "Ah, dear you must be Jess."

"Yes," I nod as I say it, "I assume Fred has asked you if I could stay, I know that it's very last minute and I don't want to push-"

"Oh deary, we will be happy to have you, though you may have to share a room with Ginny, it's going to get more and more crowded, I think that we may need to get another room built because we certainly can't have you sharing with these two, they snore much too loud-"

"Mum!" their voices again eerily synchronised.

"Sorry lovey, I'll get Fred to send you the address, though I'm sure that it would be no problem for us to come and pick you up via the floo, obviously not all of us, there are rather a lot of us, but I guess that that's what happens whe-"

"And mum is done talking now, we will be in touch." Fred rushed in.

"Okay, it was lovely meeting you Mrs Weasley, thank you so much for letting me come."

"See you soon." Mrs Weasley said as she was carted off by George.

"Okay then, I guess I'll send you the details then." Fred said awkwardly with a smile curiously tugging at his mouth.

"What's that smile for Freddy?"

"Just glad you are coming," though I thought that that wasn't the reason I nodded and pulled him into a hug. He embraced me without a second thought, and I felt his head rest on my head; immediately I felt calmed, I hadn't even realised that I wasn't until that moment. His strong arms around me, I could feel his heart beating in his chest, fast yet steady, "I'll see you soon."

I nod into his chest and pull away. What was it about his eyes? They always just seemed to pull me in, to the point that I couldn't stop myself and was just falling for him. I was falling for him. Well at least now I know where I am I guess. "See ya Freddy bear."

I turned and walked away a he just stared after me, I'm fairly sure that he did not approve of the nickname but that just made me grin more. At that point I resolved that I would tell him. I didn't care that I was going to have to get over his damned eyes while doing it, but I would do it. I would.

Though I don't think that it will be any time soon, I guess it can wait anyway. We have nearly seven months together non-stop once I get to his, it's not like I'm going to be pushed for time, we have time.

I swear to heavens above if Umbridge screws this up for me I will get her fired myself.


	6. Chapter 6

We arrived home after the 2 and a half hour journey back to our small cottage, I had lived there since I was 10 which hadn't left much time getting to know the locals before I went to Hogwarts, and I hadn't really made any friends while I was home either, because I mainly spent my time reading or visiting friends. So it was a treat to have my sister home so that I could talk to her, she was nearly five years older than me, but that was as close as I could get at this time so you take what you can get.

After I got out of the small car to see a tall figure skipping up to me, her long hair swishing behind her as she scooped me into a tight hug. "Hey Sophie." I breathe through the tight embrace, "you do know that I need to breathe to live right."

"So what's my little sis been up to then?" and with that she carted me into the house, leaving my bags to my parents.

So I started my recount of the past four months: the time that Fred had nearly set the potions lab on fire, and the times that I had sassed teachers (which were few and far between but in my opinion comedy gold), and then eventually the truth or dare game which peaked her interest more than anything else I had said.

"Well I mean, you are legally allowed to have sex now, so I don't think that a bit of making out will do much damage." She said nonchalantly as I tried not to choke on my drink, the topic of sex had always made me uncomfortable, I could think whatever I think but I would not say any of it out loud. "But," she slapped my leg, "tell me more about this Fred of yours."

"Well, his twin George is dating Angelina, and him and George are selling these sweets and stuff that you would find in joke shops, but like up a notch. He has a really weird sense of humour but he can make practically anyone laugh, and he does this little thing with his mouth when he's concentrating," I hadn't even noticed that I had seen that, "and his eyes just kind of draw you in, like quicksand but in a good way." I look up at her after I had said all of this, realising that I had basically word spewed onto her without any warning, though I suppose that she had asked for it.

"Holy shit lil' sis', you are so in love with him," I blushed at her words and looked down into my lap, the truth shocked me a little bit, I knew it, but other people knowing it felt different.

"I need you to help me buy presents for him, George and Angelina before you go, we are doing gifts when I go to theirs so we can catch the sales."

"You are going to his house?" her voice going up an octave on the final word. "Why didn't you start with that?"

"I just forgot," her eyes searched me for a lie, when she found nothing she nodded slowly. "So you going to help me?"

"Oh of course I will, I'm your big sister, who better to go shopping with?"

As if on cue I heard a tapping at the window, a small owl that I knew to be Angelina's sat on the ledge. Sophie knew how wizarding communication worked still was terrified by owls, so just glared at the small, seemingly angry ball of fluff in front of her.

I opened the window and the angry puff stuck out its leg with the letter attached, as I untied the cord from it, I gave it a treat and it stretched its leg and flew off. Opening the letter, I looked at the envelope in front of me, dreading the contents.

Dear Jess,

What the actual HELL? Are you and Fred a thing? Also do you want to come with me to the Weasley house?

Your response better be really fucking detailed missy.

Angie x

A deep sigh escaped my lips as I threw it onto the small desk in my room, I went and threw myself onto the bed next to Sophie, I needed sleep, and food, and a good book, not necessarily in that order mind you. Sophie put her hand onto my shoulder and patted it awkwardly. The next week was going to be really long.


	7. Chapter 7

"JESSICA JEAN SMITH! TELL YOUR FRIEND TO NOT POOF OUT OF THE FIREPLACE!" Mum's shrill voice rang from downstairs. I ran down the stairs to see Angelina standing awkwardly beside the fireplace, her mouth pressed into a straight line.

"Sorry mum, I guess I forgot to tell you about that." Her face was red and flustered as she looked at me with such disdain I had the audacity to forget, before she walked out of the room. "So, you ready to spend a week with your boyfriend's family?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know, are you?" she raised an eyebrow back at me and started smirking.

"I am not dating Fred."

"I never said I meant Fred," I felt my face burn up as I glared at a stain on the purple rug, which was the result of Sophie spilling her brand new foundation on Christmas, she cried about that, a lot. "I'm yanking your chain lovey, go say bye to your parents."

I did as she had told me, walking off the way that mother had left not a minute before, entering the kitchen where both my parents stood talking discretely between themselves. A cough alerted them to my presence, "I'm actually going to get going now," walking towards them and wrapping my arms around the two of them. "I will write every day, promise."

My mum nodded, "we love you honey."

"I love you too." Looking between the two of them, "Um, I'm going to poof up the chimney now, so I'll see you soon." I walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room, where Angelina was staring at the fish tank in fascination. "All good, let's hop to it." She turned her gaze to me and nodded, as I grabbed my suitcase from beside the stairs she poured out a small amount of Floo Powder into her own hand, then into mine.

She stepped into the fireplace and announced clearly "The Burrow," and disappeared into a swirl of green flames. Following as she did, I found myself swiftly into what I assumed was the Weasley residence, I saw Angelina standing a few steps in front of me, as she turned back towards me she shrugged, unsure of if we were in the right place.

That was when a tall ginger man walked into the room, looking at us, he swiftly turned and yelled; "They're here." He then took a few steps away from the doorway and the twins came bounding into the room with stupid grins on their faces, they looked like two small children on Christmas morning. The other ginger in the room excused himself after nodding to the two boys.

George and Angelina immediately went to town and started making out like it hadn't been less than two weeks since they had seen each other last, which made me smile as I averted my eyes. Fred and I on the other hand, just hugged, it was nothing particularly intense but it still set the butterflies in my stomach off into a frenzy. I smiled into his chest, just being with him calmed me down.

A cough separated us, as more redheads filed into the room, though it didn't achieve the same result with George and Angelina, who continued their intense reunion. Among the redheads were Hermione and Harry, who I knew from the multiple times that they had gotten into trouble and saved the school, sometimes simultaneously.

Mrs Weasley took to the front of the crowd and tapped George on the shoulder, which successfully separated the pair, both of whom were blushing profusely and retreated as far backwards as they could, and then began to speak. "Welcome to our home," she nods to me and Angelina, whose face was still bright red. "You two will be sharing a room with Ginny and Hermione, sorry that it's going to be a tad cramped. Dinner will be ready in two hours and I expect everyone sat at the table." She looks around, almost daring anyone to speak with her sweet smile on her face, "Off you go then, two hours."

I looked to Fred who seemed unchanged by his mother's words, and then over to the lovebirds who were slightly less red than they had been beforehand, but still noticeably so. Ginny came up to me with a smile that was not dissimilar to her mother's, and levitated my case out of my hand. "I will take this to the room and Fred can show you where it is later." There was something hostile behind her words that I couldn't quite place, so I concluded to ignore whatever it had meant because I just wanted to enjoy myself.

"So, when do you want to do the gifts?" Fred asked beside me.

"We can do them after dinner since yours just got levitated up the stairs." This caused a look of curiosity to dawn across his face as he looked after Ginny and the case, then one of mischief as it dawned on him that he could go and grab his gift at any time he chose because I wouldn't be able to get to it first. "No," I began to say as he dashed up the tight stairway, I sprinted off up them after him. "Fred! NO!"

"GINNY GIVE ME THE CASE!" his voice carried around the house, he snatched it out of the air as Ginny said something about him being just plain rude before he flung open the case on what I assumed was his bed. My belongings spewed out across the floor as he rummaged through the now half empty case. Then he smiled and pulled something out of the case with a devilish grin and held it up, I leapt at him trying to grab the bra from his hands, after doing so I shoved everything into the case and sat on the lid, glaring at him and trying to hide my deep breathing from him.

"What the hell Frederick?" I asked once I had regained my breath.

"What are you questioning here? There are a few things…"

"The very fact that you had to ask that isn't good," I tried to say it sternly but a grin crept across my lips. "But, you don't go through a girl's stuff, because you find stuff that she doesn't want you to see."

"Oh, so I'm not allowed to see your underwear now? It's just a bit of fabric."

"Tell that to the shit-eating grin you wore when you saw it."

"It's just lacier than I thought it would be." My expression must have told him what I thought about that, "Oh not like that Jessica, Gods." I erupted into laughter at the colour his face had turned, as it blended with the Gryffindor banner that hung behind him.

"I know," I leaned over and kissed his cheek and smirked at him before winking at him and grabbed my case and looked expectantly at him.

"Oh," he said after a moment as he got up and tried to grab my case, I pulled it out of his reach and nodded at him. "I am trying to be a gentleman here."

"I got it, you can be a gentleman later. Not like that." I said before the grin had even started to pull at his mouth." With that he began walking down the corridor to a baby pink door, knocking on it I poked my head around, no one was in there, but it was quite obviously Ginny's so I put my case down behind the door and pulled out three wrapped parcels. When I exited the room and saw Fred standing waiting, he glanced down at the silver packages in my hands. "Since you were so damn impatient you can have yours last." I turned on my heel and made my way back down the stairs, where George and Angelina sat cuddling on a worn, yet comfortable looking sofa. I dropped two, non-breakable gifts into their laps.

"Gods, you scared us."

"Merry Christmas." They clocked this and began tearing into the wrapping paper, Angelina who tore hers apart much quicker thanks to her long nails, gawked at the small silver pocket watch in her hands, she looked like she had just been given a winning lottery ticket. While George held a book in his hands, attempting to mask disappointment, "open it." I instructed, he did so as tiny firework exploded in his face. His hair stuck up all around his face, "there's instructions for that in the book." After saying that he looked considerably more pleased with the gift, while Angelina looked at her boyfriend like he might be the next thing to explode.

"Jess this is so kind but-"

"Ang, it's a gift, I used my money that would have been wasted otherwise." She wanted to continue to object but decided against it. "And George if you ever use anything out of that I book on me I will bring it all back on you tenfold."

Angelina then ran to her case which still sat on the living room floor and pulled out a pink sparkly package that I attempted not to squint at. The smile on her face was so genuine that I began to smile with her, as I began opening it I saw a mug in the paper, when I pulled it out entirely I saw that it had miniature cartoons of all of our group dancing along the lower rim of the cup. "I love it," a smile that stretched from ear to ear crossed her face.

"That's from both of us because somebody picked something she couldn't make." George said from his place on the couch while Angelina nodded enthusiastically. "And I made it so you can't break it." A grateful smile emerged from my face.

Then I turned to Fred who was standing behind me, trying his best to look like he was being patient while failing miserably. Handing him the last of the last silver package in my hands, I became nervous suddenly, what if he didn't like it?

I watched him as he unwrapped the paper, as a look of curiosity turned into one of wonder, he turned over the watch that he held in his hands, before looking up at me, something new in his eyes. He lunged over the space between us and kissed me, the watch in his hand still, and the kiss which was caring and desperate all at once drew the nerves out of me, the engraving danced around my mind.

 _To time and us_


	8. Chapter 8

We had one day left until we go back to school. The week had gone by so fast I could barely separate each thing that happened. It had been the best kind of hectic where it all just keeps going and you feel like you are above everything. I didn't want it to end.

Fred, Angelina, George and I had gone to a small lake for the day. Though Angelina had refused to go into the water, I had practically run into the water, stripping off my jeans and jacket, but keeping my t-shirt on as I ran into the unseasonably warm water. The others just stared at me from the bank in bewilderment. "Warming charm!" The words sparked something in them, but George didn't want to leave Angelina alone so opted out of the swimming, while Fred stripped all but his boxers and came out to meet me in the water.

"Why are you out here?" he asked after arriving beside me.

"They can't hear what we say from here." I said, nodding to where George and Angelina had curled up together under a tree. "and if we move this way." I began swimming to my left, "they can't see us either." I smile at him while he just looks confused. After an embarrassingly long moment it clicked.

He swam over to me and wrapped his hands around my waist, pushing us further from their line of sight, waiting until he got to a part where he could stand with his head above the water to kiss me. The butterflies again, filling me from head to toe. His lips hot as they crashed against mine, despite all that had happened, the fear of being caught still played both of us like puppets, which made this moment so much more. I wrapped my legs around his hips and held him close to me, my heart thumping in my chest so loud that I could hear it.

He leant his head back, just like that; he hummed and pushed his forehead to mine. "We can't keep doing this." A pit falling in my stomach as I sunk back down into the water, "not that I don't want to keep doing what we're doing, I just." He paused as if searching for the words, "I'm worried that it's going to get too far and that you'll regret it." The worry in his voice stunned me, he was so concerned that I would regret being with him that it hurt.

"I am not going to do anything I will regret with you, I promise," the words falling into place in front of me. "I love you."

"You… love me?" he was waiting for a response but this time there were no words. "I love you too." The words spread through me, more than the butterflies, more than anything I had felt before, his arms envelope me, in a way completely differently to how it had been mere minutes ago. "I promise you that."

Then it was like gravity, our bodies drawn to each other, no thoughts, just us. We were trapped inside that moment and it was safe. Our lives tangling together into a knot we couldn't break, but that was okay. When we broke apart this time there wasn't a sadness that had been there before, we were going to be okay, there was plenty of time for more, it could wait.


	9. Chapter 9

The journey to the train station was hectic, with so many people it was hard to coordinate, even without having to deal with the twins and their false ignorance. You would assume that it would get old after seven years of it, yet apparently it was still one of the funniest things in the world to see their mother so exasperated with their behaviour. I dreaded to imagine what would happen after summer, there would be so many more people around, though without the twins I suppose it would uncomplicated things this year.

"Off you go then, stop messing around," Mrs Weasley said from behind the group. At this we all hurried onto the train, which had more than enough room for the students who had left school over the holidays, so we split off into separate groups and found a cabin, the four of us spreading out across the benches, I lay across the bench with my head on Fred's lap while he talked to George who was sat opposite, Angelina snuggled into his side. Fred was idly messing with my hair, I closed my eyes and began to nod off, the voices lulling me to sleep.

When I started to wake up a could just hear mutterings, no coherent words, but as I slipped further into consciousness I began to hear what was being said; "how do you feel then?" … "I'm not going to say while she is in the room now am I." … "She's asleep." … "Have you never faked being asleep before then?"

As I started to move more all of the talking stopped, I sat up and looked around, my eyes half closed, but saw Fred giving George a look that seemed to say 'or that'. I pulled my legs to my chest and sunk into Fred's side as he chuckled at my behaviour, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"You pretty tired then love?" I just nodded which drew another chuckle. "You don't have a lot of time before we get to school, if you want to be in robes before we get there you should probably go get changed now." I just nodded again and snuggled further into his chest, "So that's not gonna happen then?"

"Just five more minutes," my voice sounded so sleepy, I was surprised I was awake at all.

"Come on Jess, we will go together," said Angelina who had been sitting opposite us, she got up and started to move towards me but I just wrapped my arms around Fred and glared at her. "What are you five? Jess come on." Fred and George both laughed at my face while Angelina just looked exasperated at my immaturity.

"I'm sure that George would love to join you Ang," I said, slightly louder than I had intended, setting both of the boys into fits of laughter, more at Angelina's expression than the comment in itself.

"At least I can say he's my boyfriend," she dared, she raised an eyebrow.

"What exactly are you insinuating there?" I said, raising my eyebrow back at her.

"Okay, I'm going to go get changed," she said, ignoring the question. "Anyone may join me." With that she turned on her heel and left the cabin. George grabbed his bag and followed her out, winking at us before he turned the corner.

I unravelled my arms from around Fred and rested my head onto his shoulder after they had left, contented that I wouldn't be forced to get up. "We could remedy that you know." Fred said after a minute or so.

"What?"

"Jessica Smith, would you do me the honour of being my girlfriend?" he asked, worry in his voice.

"Of course I will," I smiled at him and pecked his cheek. "That means you are my boyfriend and that makes me one of the luckiest girls alive." He kissed my forehead and mumbled.

"Then I must be the luckiest _person_ alive for you to say yes."


	10. Chapter 10

The term dragged on, Umbridge was getting worse as time progressed. It was only February and she had already handed out more detentions this year than last year overall, and she still was using that pen that scratched into skin, even on the first years who didn't know that this wasn't what was supposed to happen at Hogwarts, that she wasn't what was supposed to happen at Hogwarts.

Since Fred and George couldn't play quidditch, they had progressed significantly with their products, which had slowly steered away from pranking to try and find pain relievers that sold much better recently as more and more people suffered under Umbridge's quill, Fred and George included, numerous times. It hurt me every time I saw his bloodied hand and the words carved into it; I had yet to get a detention with her, though that more relied on Fred distracting her whenever I got close, causing himself to suffer, I appreciated it, but I always felt so guilty. He always told me it wasn't that bad, but it was clear that he was hurt more than he let on.

"Hey Jess?" a voice brought me back into the present. I just hummed a sound that I thought may make it seem like I was aware of who had asked in the first place. "I asked you if you wanted to talk about anything, you seem pretty down lately." It was Angelina, who had made her way around to in front of where I sat on the sofa in the common room, she looked concerned.

"I'm okay, just tired," she didn't look at all convinced by that, but didn't question it which was a small mercy at this point.

"I'm always here for you, you know that right," I just nod, keeping my eyes anywhere but on her. "Scooch over." She said as she sat down next to me, putting her arms around me, I wasn't sure what brought it on but tears started forming in my eyes, soon they became quiet sobs that came from nowhere in particular. She just stroked my hair and hushed me, her voice calming. "Where's that boy of yours then? He's never where he's needed." She jested after the sobs just became quiet whimpers, it drew a smile but nothing more. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked again. This time I just shook my head, not trusting myself to speak without crying again.

At that point Fred, George and Lee entered the common room, loud as ever, I quickly wiped my face and coughed to try and clear my throat. I gave Angelina a look to ask if I looked okay, she just reached over and tucked my hair behind my ears and nodded. I moved slightly so that I could bring my legs onto the sofa beside me, moving myself away from Angelina, who looked just about ready to leap into George's arms.

George however, sat down beside her and pulled her towards him and left the making out for later, when they would be alone and free to be as grope-y as they wished. Fred just sat on the ground in front of me, Lee excusing himself to go and do stuff as he so eloquently put, we had all figured out that stuff was Eliza, who had never found the courage to look at me after I found her and Lee, and had generally disappeared from the group, which felt weird because we had always discussed what our futures would be like, always including the other, but I didn't feel as sad about us not talking as I would have assumed. It just seemed normal now for us not to talk, we still saw each other so I would just have to leave it at that.

I played with Fred's hair as he sat in front of me, content that he was there, his presence in itself calming and I felt my worries lighten somewhat. From my right I could hear the lovebirds muttering not-so-sweet nothings in each other's ears, I couldn't hear specifics which I was pleased with, but it made me uncomfortable none the less. Fred had a book open in his hands, not reading it, just holding it to give the illusion of doing something.

"You okay there Freddy?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, just thinking," he said, as if I had woken him from a daze.

"What were you thinking about?" I asked, trying to further the conversation.

"Just if I should ask you to be my valentine now or later," he said nonchalantly.

I coughed, "well, I'll say yes whenever you ask if that's any help."

"I'll ask you some other time." He said it with such conviction I could barely help but laugh at him.

"Yeah, you do that then." I leant forward and kissed his cheek.


	11. Chapter 11

The air was crisp as we walked around Hogsmeade, Valentine's day had always seemed boring before, as cheesy as it is, I found it much more interesting this year, mainly because Fred had insisted that we spend the day together. We had sat in The Tree Broomsticks for the better part of an hour, before we left to wander from shop to shop, buying sweets and nothing else.

After we took seats on a bench at the outskirts of the small village, sat close together for no reason other than to enjoy each other's company to the fullest while we could, Fred cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um," he pulled out a small case from his coat pocket, "I got you this, to try and make up for the gift I gave you at Christmas." As he said it I thought back to the book he had given me, I loved it but he had felt badly that I had given him something that cost more.

"You have nothing to make up for," I laughed slightly, "I loved it."

"Yeah," he handed me the box which had a pink ribbon tied around it. I untied the ribbon carefully and opened the black box, revealing a small charm bracelet with only a small crystal heart hanging from the delicate silver chain.

"Fred it's beautiful, thank you so much," I kissed him, I could feel his smile. I pulled away to stare at him, looking at the bracelet that sat in my palm now. He took it from my hand and fastened it around my wrist, I twisted my hand, watching as the chain twisted and moved in the light.

"I figured I could get you a charm for everything that happens," I raised my eyebrow but smiled at him.

"I love you so much."

"I love you more though," his tone childish as he said it.

"I highly doubt that," my tone challenging him.

"Doubt all you want," he kissed me, his lips softer than I remembered. "It's true though."


	12. Chapter 12

"Happy Birthday to us." George muttered glumly as we sat in the hall, Umbridge sitting where Dumbledore had been sitting only three days prior, her obnoxiously pink outfit reflecting the light, nearly blinding half of the hall.

"This is freaking bull." Fred added, rubbing his bloodied hand, they had set off "Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-bangs" the day after Dumbledore had left, resulting in a detention. "I'm so sick of her acting so high and mighty." He muttered quietly as if she could in some way hear us.

"We only have a few more months," I said matching his volume. "Then you won't have to deal with her," I tried to make my words sound comforting in some way, but they just came off as sarcastic.

"Four months wasted and we won't even get anything from it," Fred mumbled back, "it's all just a load of crap."

"Oh please, what are you gonna do then? Drop out." Both of the twins looked up from their plates when I said that, sharing a look I knew all too well. "No. You can't." They didn't respond to that, their grins just grew as they looked back down at their plates, "George, Angelina would kill you if you leave." He looked up at me.

"We aren't going to leave now," I could see the conflict in his eyes as he said it. "And it would only mean that we open the shop earlier than we planned."

"Are you joking?"

"Jess, we can talk about this at some other point," he looked at me, searching my eyes for something that might hint at my reaction.

I kissed him gently and leant back, sighing, "If you go I won't be able to kiss you." I looked at him, while his eyes flickered over to George who was doing his best to ignore our public displays of affection, as though he didn't do more than this on a regular basis. "And if I have to suffer through the pink atrocity so do you." I turned back to my plate and continued to eat the food that was on my plate as George snickered at my comment while Fred just stared at me for a moment before turning back to his plate, a small frown on his face.

After I had finished my food I just waited for Fred to finish his own plate, which was piled high with all of the foods that had sat before us. Once he was finished he took my hand and we walked out of the hall, hand in hand, back towards the common room to collect our bags for next lesson. After we had both gotten our bags, we were earlier than expected, but made our ways to transfiguration anyway.

Or at least that was the plan, a short distance from the classroom there was a small broom cupboard that Fred stopped beside, his grin flirtatious. "Classy." I state as he stares me down, after looking from side to side I nod, within seconds he pulled me into the surprisingly spacious storeroom, his lips on mine as he kicked the door closed behind us. His hands resting on my lower back, as the kiss deepened I wrapped my arms around his neck.

His hot lips against my skin drowned out all other noise; I was pressed between his body and the cool, stone wall at my back. My heart was racing. I tried to get closer to him, pushing myself towards his lips. We continued this for a time, though it didn't feel like long enough, and I doubt it ever will. But we stopped to breathe, hot heavy breaths against each other; neither of us wanted to stop, but there was still class to get to, and Mcgonagall would not stand us being late, though I'm not entirely sure whether or not she would notice my absence, Fred not causing trouble would capture her attention indefinitely. I couldn't very well continue making out with Fred without Fred.

So we stood, together for as long as we could allow ourselves, then we separated and I tried to myself look like he hadn't run his hands through my hair, making it stand up at odd angles. I looked over at him to see pink lip gloss smeared across his lips, making me chuckle slightly as I reached up to try and wipe some of it away with my sleeve, but he caught my hand mid-air and leaned down to kiss me, and I kissed back. But pulled away smiling, I successfully wiped his face this time as he pouted. "You are going to be such a great mum someday," he said when I had pulled my arm away.

"Would that be you hinting at something there?" I retorted.

"Well I mean, I," he spluttered. I reached my hand up to his face and he seemed to calm at my touch, "I wasn't saying that, but I would like that in the future, maybe, I don't know," he began to blush.

"We have time Freddy, we can talk about the future in the future."

With that we walked out of the storeroom, hand in hand, to class. He leaned down to whisper, "Happy Birthday to me." The smirk said it all.


	13. Chapter 13

Fred and George had left. They had decided that my joke was to be taken seriously and they would go out with a bang, quite literally. There were fireworks involved. As well as a swamp which they managed to conjure in one of the halls, which caused the teachers rather a lot of grief trying to get rid of it, though I was sure that McGonagall would know how to get rid of it had she tried. Umbridge however was so infuriated with the boy's exit that she had practically exploded the second they had disappeared, which was the most interesting thing she had done in all of her time at Hogwarts.

We sent each other letters regularly, Mrs Weasley had been furious with them when she found out that they had left, never mind the mess that they had caused upon departure. Never the less, they had bought a shop in Diagon Alley which they had begun decorating to fit their vision, which I had no doubt consisted of a copious amount of orange.

Fred had sent a charm for my birthday, a small top hat, which he explained was a key element in the shop, and that the shop was a key moment in our lives, hence it being on the bracelet.

The exams flew by, though I didn't get full marks on all of them, I feel that I did pretty well, well enough that I had a cushion to fall back on should Fred and George not need my help with the shop as they said they would. The train journey away from Hogwarts felt weird, it felt like I had left a part of me there, I was relieved to leave because it meant that I could start my life and move forward, but having spent a good proportion of my life there, I knew that I would miss it.

But leaving meant that I could be with Fred again, letters weren't the same as talking in person, and you couldn't kiss a photograph. So I sat next to Angelina on the train, waiting eagerly for the platform to come into view, nerves fluttering about the cabin.

The breaks squealed as the cabin came level with the station before us, before the train had come to a complete stop both of us were scrambling to collect our belongings, rushing to be the first off of the train to find the twins. We stumbled clumsily out of the doors and searched the platform for the two tall redheads, whom we found after only a brief scan of the crowd; racing one another to see who could get to them first as we squirmed through the expectant parents. I dropped my case just before I got to him, throwing my arms around him as he lifted me and spun to try and steady himself, as he set me down our lips met and we kissed in front of almost everyone we had ever known.

"Oh my Gods, I have missed you so much." He stated when we broke apart, his eyes taking in every inch of me.

"You have no idea." I said, hugging him tightly to my side, he reached down and grabbed my case from the floor, before I could protest he kissed me again, gentler this time, but enough to stop me from speaking. "I'm pretty sure that that's cheating."

"I'm pretty sure that you aren't complaining that I just kissed you," he said indignantly, as though the accusation had offended him, but his smile seeped through the façade.

"I'm meeting my parents at a café in twenty minutes," I wrapped my free arm around his waist. "So can I come visit you next week?"

"Am I not allowed to meet your parents?" his tone sarcastic and obviously unsurprised.

"Do you want to meet my parents right now?"

"Is it bad if I say no?"

"Of course not," I leant against him as we walked towards the exit of the station. "So, next week?"

"You are always welcome, just come down Diagon Alley, you can't miss it." He said, practically exploding with pride, "George and I are staying above the shop for now."

"Got it," I grabbed the case from his hand and slipped my arm from around him. Reaching up, I kissed him, "see you." I turned on my heel and ran from the station, through the wall into the packed muggle station, the transition always jarred me slightly, bright fluorescent lights hung overhead.

After steadying myself, I began the journey to a small café just outside the station; the walk wasn't long, but after sitting in a train for nearly five hours, it wears you out. So when I saw that they were already sat down I quickly rushed over to the booth that they and shoved my suitcase under the table and slid into the seat, they both just looked at me and smiled as I picked up a menu.

"How was school?" my mother asked somewhat awkwardly.

"It was good, I did okay with my exams so I can see what jobs crop up in a while." I didn't feel like discussing Fred with them at this point, as they would most likely think that I was jumping into things, which I possibly was, but I didn't feel like admitting that to them or myself just yet. "How have you been anyway?"

"Good, your mother got a promotion at work."

"I'm now the senior manager at the firm," her face lit up as she said it, making the booth feel lighter and less awkward almost instantly. "Your sister is getting home tomorrow so we are going to do some shopping," she smiled enthusiastically at me, "and then we got you this." She hands me a muggle train card, "so that you can travel to wherever your friends are, I know you like disappearing up the chimney but it doesn't half scare me."

"Thank you," I grabbed their hands from across the table, though I appreciated the sentiment I would most likely travel by floo when my mum wasn't there. "Yeah, actually I was planning to go stay with Fred and George for a few days next week, they just opened their own shop, figured I could lend a hand."

"Of course, but I'm going to assume you don't need the safety talk." Mum said slightly quieter than her usual volume.

"No thank you, I don't plan on that anytime soon." I could feel my heart beat faster as she said it, squirming at her tone.

"You never know honey, it might surprise you."

I just stared at the space between their heads and nodded, not wanting to have to have the talk in a café, or at all if possible, school covered most of it and the rest I had heard discussed around school before I even knew what most of the things meant. My parents chuckled to themselves and we fell into more comfortable conversations about future plans and school, not telling them anything that might worry them, like the impending dangers or my relationship. But those things didn't need to ruin the mood this instant, I would tell them later. Later.


	14. Chapter 14

Diagon Alley was quieter than normal, it was Monday morning and I had taken the train down to please my worrying mother, even then I had arrived at just after 8 o-clock. As Fred had said, I spotted the store in the first five minutes of walking around, it was vibrant orange, which was to be expected, with purple embellishments, "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes" was open for business.

I walked into the store, a small bell chiming above the door, I saw George standing at the counter with a small brunette girl and her mother buying something the George himself highly approved of, as evident by his enthusiastic nods and cheeky smile. When he saw me, he just nodded to a door that said Staff, I nervously pushed on the door, revealing Fred walking towards the door, holding a bright pink box of something I would not be trying on myself. He looked up and saw me, "surprise." He shoved the box onto a nearby shelf and grabbed me where I stood, pulling me into a tight embrace, my bag dropping to the floor from my shoulder.

"You are here finally, I was going to go mad with just George," he said, pulling back from the hug. His eyes searching my face for any sign of, well I wasn't quite sure what he was searching for, I just knew the way his eyes flew over my face.

"George is wonderful company." I retort, a smile dancing on my lips.

"I can't kiss George, but I can sure as hell kiss you," his lips crash into mine, hungry and gentle all at once. His hands lifting me so that my legs wrapped around his waist, my hands laced into his hair. Pushing me up against a wall, I felt myself tighten my arms around him, trying to stabilise myself. He lowered me to the floor gesturing a finger as if to say wait a moment, he opened the door and called, "Hey George, I'm going to go show Jess around upstairs." Without waiting for any kind of response, he grabbed my hand and my bag, practically running up the stairs, as soon as we reached the top he hoisted me back so that my legs were wrapped around him and kissing me within seconds, he stopped by each door and muttering "kitchen" or "bathroom" or whatever else the room might be as we travelled down the hall, finally kicking open the door, which me labelled as "our bedroom" before dropping my bag in front of the doorway, not before kicking the door closed again.

The bed that sat in the room was large and comfortable, I noticed as he dropped me onto the mattress, him hovering above me. "Should we…?" he began to ask after a short while, pulling away from me slightly.

I kiss him gently, "Do you want to?" I ask, kissing him gently, making my way down his neck.

"Of course I do," he kissed me, "but do you?"

The feeling in my chest just screamed one thing, "Yes."


	15. Chapter 15

Fortunately the shop was quiet, George handled it himself while Fred "showed me around", it hadn't hurt like I expected it to, it was a good sort of pain. It was awkward to say the least, but I didn't regret it, not in the slightest. I had a shower afterwards, and stood under the running water, just content to stay there and feel safe.

Afterwards, I came out of the bathroom and returned to the bedroom, the bed now neatly made, with my bag sitting on top of the dark covers, I smiled and got changed into jeans and a t-shirt before making my way back to where I saw the kitchen earlier on the way up. Fred was sat on one of the chairs around the table, facing away from me.

I coughed to gain his attention and he hastily shoved his hands into his pockets, "Hey Jess," his ears were turning pink, though I wasn't quite sure why. He stood and turned so that he was facing me, "I, um, how are you?"

Moving closer to him, I took his hands and held them between us, "I'm good." I smile up at him, hoping that seeing that I genuinely meant it may calm his sudden nervousness, "Fred, I love you."

"I love you too," he said, though he seemed confused by the sudden statement.

"And," his curiosity growing with that, "I know that we are really young, but, I think I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Did you just propose to me?" he asks, something behind his words that I couldn't place, so I just nod nervously, looking at him. "Oh for fucks sake!" he yelled and started pacing stressfully.

"I'm sorry, I, um-"

"Could you not have waited like ten minutes?"

"Um…"

"Five even," he ran his hands through his hair. Pulling a small box from his pocket, staring down at it like he wished for it to set alight in his hand, "I-"

"Yes."

"Oh please, you get to propose but I don't?" I raised an eyebrow but let him continue. "Jessica Jean Smith, we haven't really known each other properly all that long, but there is something about you that makes me feel safe, and I want to have that feeling for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?"

I look at him for a long time before sighing, "Yes." His face lit up and he hugged me, "but I asked first."

"Forever competitive," he said, I heard the smirk lingering in his voice.

"Forever yours."


	16. Chapter 16

Since actually getting married would involve telling my parents, we decided that it would wait until we were 20 at the least, it didn't bother us though, it just meant that our forever would come later. So I continued to travel to the boy's at every chance I got, staying for as long as I could before my parents started worrying, I had told them I was dating Fred, but that was the extent of their knowledge, and I was going to keep it that way.

Sophie was desperate to meet Fred, she knew more than our parents did, mainly because I had forgotten to take the ring off before meeting her, but she didn't need to know that, however I was blatantly ignoring her attempts to meet him out of fear that they may not like each other, which was not a positive thing to do, but I was scared so I avoided it. It was getting close to the beginning of the school term and it felt weird knowing that I wouldn't be joining the students. That also meant that the shop wouldn't be as busy, not that that was a problem, we had enough money and a break would be good for the boys.

We were content in the moment.


	17. Chapter 17

Dear Ang,

Please can you come over as soon as you can, I will be at Fred and George's, I need your help.

Jess x

An hour after I sent the letter I heard the unmistakable sound of someone arriving by floo coming from the lounge, I rushed from my place on Fred's bed to intercept her before either of the boys had a chance to question her arrival. They both had sat in the adjoining dining room dealing with the paper work involved with the shop, which they had eventually grown to stand. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her into the bedroom Fred and I shared whenever I was over, which had grown more often in the months following Christmas, closing the door hastily and ensuring that we couldn't be overheard by two nosey young men.

"Do you want to explain what is going on?" Her voice both sarcastic and worried.

"Cold feet," I meant for it to sound more convincing than it had, it sounded like a question. I hadn't meant for it to be a question.

"Jess, what's going on?" The worry in her voice was visible on her face, her brow furrowing slightly and her lips being pressed into a line as she spoke. I never acted like this, I usually talked myself out of my worries alone before anyone could even guess that there was a point when I had been.

"Don't you think that this is moving all too quickly?" The question was only partly aimed at her, I was asking myself. We probably were, I mean I was still seventeen and I was proposed to be married to someone I had barely been dating for a year, it wasn't barely though, it was nearly a year and a half, but that was beside the point.

"What makes you think that?" She had evaded the question, her and George were going at a much more relaxed pace, they weren't going to get married anytime soon, Angelina wanted to travel first, and that couldn't happen for a few years until the shop was stable and could be sustained by someone other than the boys.

"Well, it's not like it's normal for people to get engaged right out of school is it?" This was a conversation that composed mainly of questions, I noted silently, it wasn't getting us very far.

"No, but what does that matter? When have either of you been normal?" She had a point, but that didn't stop my worrying, if anything it made it worse, which didn't make sense. I know full well that that logically made no sense.

"What if we can't do it?" There was defeat in my voice, the kind that made the following silence deafening and the air get heavy. I looked up at her face, her eyes seemed to be searching me for something, she was searching for answers that might tell her why my behaviour and attitude had suddenly flipped on it's axis.

"Jess, what is going on?" I just looked at her.

My breath came out slowly as I tried to calm myself, it hitched in my throat, why did it have to do that? I wasn't tearing up before that, I was fine, I was in control of my emotions.

Her arms wrapped around me as I tried to stop the tears from falling, they couldn't, it wasn't the time for me to cry. A knock at the door pulled me from whatever sad thoughts were trying to tug at my brain.

"Hey guys, we were going to make food, what do you want?" It was George, thank gods it was George. Angelina gave me a look and poked her head out of the door, I wasn't sure what she said, but I heard footsteps receding so it must have satisfied his question. She didn't turn back to me immediately, staring at the wooden door with such intensity I thought it may set on fire, she took a deep breath and turned to face me.

"Jess, I need you to tell me so that I can help, I want to help you." She sounded resigned.

I stare at her, hoping to somehow show her through wide eyes, saying it would make it real. That didn't work though, so with a breath that filled my lungs as full as they could be I said it.

"I'm pregnant Ang."


	18. Chapter 18

"Holy shit!" I was suddenly aware that the boys may be able to hear us and winced as she released a torrent of panicked swears around the room. If I hadn't been so worried about the boys coming to see what was going on I would have laughed, instead I stood still a few paces from the door, waiting for Angelina to calm down enough to stop spouting every foul word under the sun. It took around five minutes for her to stop shouting, but she continued to pace for at least another two. She ground to a halt beside the bed, her brow still scrunched in what I think was confusion.

"When?" She asked it quietly, barely a whisper, but it was still there.

"A few weeks, honestly I'm not so sure." My voice was neutral, in a failed attempt to make it seem like it didn't matter to me that there was a tiny person growing inside me. No, it wasn't technically a person at this point, but it was a tiny bit of me, that was my responsibility.

"So you could still sort it out right."

"What?" I knew what she meant, I didn't want her to mean it but I knew she did.

"You could go to a muggle place and get it sorted," she was glaring at my stomach like it held the incarnation of the devil himself. "You are both too young, and it wouldn't be fair on Fred-" she kept talking, I didn't hear what she was saying, she was right, we were too young. That didn't mean that I could "sort" it though.

I just nodded along and pretended that what she was saying didn't hurt, nod along. Nodding and pretending; she continued her lecture for what seemed like hours, all of it logical, none of it making any sense in the moment. She must have known that I wouldn't though, because despite all of it she was grasping at straws: the child would be treated differently, how can we afford it, what about Molly, what about my parents. The child would not be treated differently because I knew the Weasley's would fight anyone who started it, there was enough money and I had stored up a cushion of funds from my shares of the shop, and the parents wouldn't be overjoyed at the idea but surely would come around.

Before realising I had stood and made my way out of the door, praying to any higher that she would have the sense not to continue this talk past the bedroom, just so that I could have a break from her speech which had progressed into how irresponsible we were to even be in this situation, knowing that I would have to hear the same from my mother the moment I told her. The boys had set up a plate for each of us, which sat opposite the two of them.

Taking the seat in front of Fred I picked up a fork and began pushing the food around the plate, it hadn't ended nearly as badly as some of their previous attempts, some of which resulted in having to get rid of some of the pans that even magic couldn't fix. Angelina had appeared after a minute or so, waiting to calm down most likely, and took a rather angry bite of her pasta. The conversation in front of us halted, the brown eyes studying both of us.

"What happened to you two?" Fred asked, his tone verging on sarcastic.

I shot Angelina a look that kept her mouth closed, though her jaw was clenched slightly too tightly for anyone to look past. "Just girl troubles," I winced through the words, even as I spoke them I felt guilty. He needed to know. But not yet, I would tell him, later.

George cleared his threat awkwardly, in a futile attempt to break the tension, it didn't work. We all sat in an uncomfortable quiet, the whirring of a fan the only thing suspending it just above silence; someone would cough, or sniffle, or the scraping of metal against the plate would slice through everyone. It seemed like the words were floating just out of reach above our heads, holding us captive around the rectangular table that was too big for the space.

So there we sat, for nearly ten minutes before I excused myself, feigning tiredness. As I left, I felt the air lighten, more so as I made my way further from the table, to the room where Angelina had yelled. The bed didn't look as inviting as it usually did, the sheets looked too clean and not lived in enough for my taste, the surfaces too tidy, like a showroom in a furniture store, looking like a home but with the unnerving feeling that it was far from it. That wasn't the case though, I had slept in this bed before, I had walked along the carpets and used the drawers, one of which held my stuff, but it no longer felt the same.

I perched awkwardly on the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do, feeling that to disturb the carefully washed bedding would be a crime against the perfect setting. There wasn't enough room here for a crib, and it wouldn't fit the room, I would have to move, would it be we? Would Fred want this? He wanted to marry me, but would kids fit into that this young? Too young. The words playing around my head as I lay back on the covers, fully clothed, staring at the cream ceiling that was too clean, like it had been freshly painted, but it hadn't, in fact Fred and George hadn't painted the house at all, leaving it the colours it had come in, all neutral and too old, but they left it all the same. Boring bland walls. Sheets that were too clean. All taunting me like bugs that hovered around the windows in the warmer months, buzzing as I drifted into a sleep that didn't come fast enough and all to fast at the same time.


	19. Chapter 19

I opened my eyes, I felt Fred under the covers beside me, though I could feel that he was further from me than usual, probably something to do with the fact that I was on top of the covers, though he had placed a blanket on top of me at some point. I could tell by the still dark room that it was early, though I wasn't sure how early I knew that it must have been before 6 o-clock for Fred not to be up yet, he would be fussing about the shop if it was any later. At first I didn't move, looking at the back of his head, where ginger hair stood up at odd angles with his hand awkwardly tangled in the mess.

Five minutes passed before I rose into a siting position, twisting my feet onto the floor to try and steady myself, I felt the rough carpet through my socks. Grabbing a set of clean clothes from the bag that sat beside the night stand, dressing quickly and making my way to the kitchen and turning the kettle on I felt a weary self consciousness. The water took a while to boil but it just gave me more time try and think, though when I went to pour the water I clearly wasn't thinking as I spilled the scorching liquid us my arm, running it under cold waster as quickly as I could. Trying not to make any noise as the skin began to peel under the stream of water from the tap, I mopped up the water after I had stopped wanting to cry out in pain, angry at the kettle that sat in a pool of now lukewarm water on the wooden bench. I then sat on the floor where the water had been, no drink and pouted, not wanting to repeat the previous feat. I had been burnt by a cup of hot liquid when I was younger, trying to help tidy up after my parents when a still hot and half full cup and "fallen" off the counter and onto the six year old me, which looking back on it was most likely accidental magic, but I wouldn't tell my parents that because it was a touchy subject as it was, they blamed themselves for the accident, and my mum blamed herself for my magic, because she couldn't very well blame the anonymous sperm donor.

By the time George had gotten up to see me sitting on the kitchen with a burnt forearm sulking on the kitchen floor I had been sat there for more than half an hour, he picked me up by my armpits and gave me something that was supposed to help with the pain, but I didn't feel any pain so why would I have it, he fed it to me despite my protests, wrapped my arm in gauze, and half-carried me back to bed, where Fred was still asleep. He pulled back the covers and pushed me onto the mattress, pulling it back over me and closing the door on his way out.

I lay on my side facing Fred, until he noticed a change and turned around to face me, eyes fluttering between open and not, arms wrapping around my waist and wriggling closer. He hummed contentedly as he fell back into a dreamlike state, wherever it was, it brought a smile to his face and his breathing slow to where I almost couldn't feel it against my skin. Like this he reminded me of a small child, curled up and sleepy, too young.

Running my hand through his still tangled hair, I felt myself sigh, content in a moment that wouldn't last as long as I wanted it to, not that anything ever would. Moving slightly, I began to braid his hair as best I could, resulting in small tufts of hair being twisted together haphazardly. We stayed that way for a time, until he began to wake up, and I combed out the small plaits with my fingers.

He didn't sit up right away, just stared at me with big brown eyes that looked like they held the secrets of the universe, all golds and chocolate melted together in such a small space. His gaze didn't feel invasive, but safe and welcomed in the small distance between us.

"Do you want to talk about what was up last night?" It was such an innocent question, one filled with concern and care, but one that also made my breath catch in my throat. The look on his face made it apparent that he had noticed it, but he didn't mention it, waiting patiently for my response.

My mouth became very dry and my tongue became heavy, both in an attempt to keep me quiet. "Well," cough "I, well me and Ang," cough again "we, I mean." Words weren't usually this difficult. I took a deep breath, one that was shakier than I had expected. "Sorry, I have just been snappier than usual lately. I'm fine, I just wasn't so good then, I'm better now." The lie hurt as it passed my lips, it felt like it was chipping away parts of my heart.

"Are you sure?" His tone was obvious that it had seen through the lie, but felt that he shouldn't mention it.

Forcing a smile onto my lips I just nodded.

"Yep."


	20. Chapter 20

I had to tell him. It had been more than a month since I had told Angelina, and I could tell that she was getting more annoyed by the day, and though I could see why, I just whished that she would show me some understanding. A girl barely 18 should not have to deal with telling her fiancé that she was nearly 2 months pregnant. Too young. Too soon.

Whatever morning sickness I had been feeling had come back worse than ever in the past week, and Fred was worried that I had some rare form of wizard flu that he had read about in fourth year, insisting that I go to St Mungos as quickly as possible so as not to risk a slow and painful death as he so eloquently put over dinner the previous night. This only meant that I would have to tell him, and before he took matters into his own hands.

Sitting curled up on the sofa with a mug of tea in my hands, I just imagined what it would mean if everything had happened when we were just a few years older, just 2 years would make all the difference, yes we would still be young, but it would be more accepted and the baby wouldn't have to deal with all the crap he might with parents so young. It couldn't be helped though, there was no pause button, or something to fast forward to when everything would be sorted and fine, when Voldemort was dead and gone, and we could get married and live happily ever after. That couldn't happen though, there wouldn't be that for us, but we could still be happy. After I tell him.

I need to tell him. Before I find an excuse not to. Before I actually go into labour would also be good.

"Freddie?" I called out down the hallway, the window behind me letting in a warm draft that seemed to carry my voice along the halls. A loud bang that was followed my swear words rung back, drawing a chuckle from me.

"Yep." His pained voice carried to me, as he hobbled through the small doorway. I raised an eyebrow at him, only for him to reply "box, foot, not fun." He plopped himself down beside me on the small couch, propping his feet onto the coffee table on the small green rug, nothing in the flat really matched, all strange and oddly coloured, not fitting together.

Suddenly my nerves trapped any words in my throat, "Want a cuppa?" I practically leapt from my spot beside him, rushing around the small island to where the kettle sat on the side, placing my still half full mug down beside me, staring at the lukewarm liquid. Gripping the side so hard my knuckles went pale in an attempt to stop them from shaking, I took a deep breath in an attempt to steady my nerves.

"Um, sure?" he looked confused, but who can really blame him? I wasn't acting anywhere close to normal, and I think he was just about starting to notice.

I would use the mug thing, that's how my mum had told my grandparents that she was pregnant with Sophie, just tweak it a little, and it wasn't hard to transfigure the Plain green mug that we only used as a last resort. Easy. If I could remember the spell, or any spell at all. Picking up a "permanent" marker I tried to write it as neatly as I could on the curved surface, then fixing the tea as normal, trying to steady my hands so as not to spill the hot liquid down myself. Sitting down beside him, I handed him the mug and waited for him to notice, every second drawn out as his eyes flickered to the writing. A slow look of realisation crossed his features.

Slowly he turned and placed both of our mugs on the table, turning back to me with the widest grin I had ever seen on him, or anyone else for that matter; I felt his arms wrap around me as he lifted us both off of the sofa, swinging me around in his arms. "I'm gonna be a dad?" his big brown eyes searched me for any sign of a lie, when I nodded I could feel tear welling up in my eyes, not the same sad tears that I had shed before, but tears of joy. "I'm gonna be a Dad." He was yelling it as he swung me around in circles in the small living room, "we are gonna have a baby." He stopped spinning and put his hand on my stomach, there was barely a bump but I saw the smile it drew on his face. And it made everything seem okay.


	21. Chapter 21

Everyone would be coming back from school, we had decided that we would tell everyone then, apart from George and Angelina whom Fred had screamed it at within an hour of finding out, which then meant we had a talk about when we would tell people. So there we sat in the Weasley house waiting for everyone to get back from the station, and though nothing was as bright as it had been with Dumbledore's passing hanging above everyone's heads, we would still go ahead, not wanting to delay it too long for fear of delaying too long and someone figuring it out before we said anything.

It was eerily quiet at the burrow, almost all of the Weasleys had gone to Diagon alley after Ron and Ginny arrived off of the train, though I hadn't wanted to walk around in Fred's jumper which was the only item of clothing I was comfortable wearing that didn't cling to my stomach and it didn't make me overheat despite it being mid-july. Having both decided that it would be best just to come out and say it, we would announce it as soon as we could gather everyone into one room, which given the number of people involved would be much more difficult than it sounded. I would tell my own parents the following day when both Fred and I went to visit, but I was going to tell them as soon as I arrived, to gauge the situation before we got trapped.

So there we were, awaiting the tell tale green flames, dread and excitement mixing in my stomach, adding to the nausea that had already settled there. My sweaty hand gripping Fred's, surely I shouldn't have been that nervous, the Weasley's would accept the child no doubt and would help us in any way they could, Mrs Weasley would be overjoyed at the prospect of having a baby around having voiced her feelings on having all of her children almost fully grown many times, we would be okay. Right?

Before I could go further into depth in my paranoid train of thought the fireplace illuminated as the family began to step from the flames, after nearly five minutes of trying to keep everyone in the room while others arrived they all stood gathered together in the small space, staring expectantly at the two of us who were blocking the exit. I felt Fred shift beside me, an awkward movement that drew the rooms attention away from me for which I was grateful, he looked at me as I tried to force the words past my lips, it wasn't working, they stayed stuck.

Fred once again grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. "I'm pregnant and we're keeping it and it's due in February." The words sprang out of my mouth, my face flushing I turned and walked out of the room, leaving the Weasley's all with mouths wide at the revelation, Fred glued to his spot as I made my way to what I knew was his and George's room, closing the door behind me. That was not at all how I had wanted to tell them, maybe I could obliviate them. That would certainly make the terrible feeling in my gut disappear, but then I would have to tell them again and I didn't want to put that much pressure on myself twice.

Fred appeared in the doorway, looking at me with pity when he saw the look that was plastered to my face which apparently was one of shock and despair. "Well that went well," he sat down beside me on the bed as I payed back with my head now in his lap. "Mum still likes to whack me upside the head when I mess up." He stated it as though he was still a student who hadn't gotten the grades they were able to get, rubbing his left ear that was turning red where the apparent blow had fallen. "She still thinks you are a little angel though," because obviously I made this baby all by myself," it drew a chuckle, "but hey, we still have your parents to look forward to." In a second my stomach filled with dread again, this was going to be fun.

"I guess it could be worse?"


	22. Chapter 22

"You're what?" The demand leaping from my mother's lips the second the word pregnant fell from my lips, I felt Fred squirm beside me as he fell under my parents joint silent fury. "Jessica," she said, it came out as a sigh as she attempted to calm herself, "I have told you -multiple times- that if you are going to have sex you are to be careful about it." At the sight of me squirming she only scowled further.

"I know, and I'm sorry," which only drew another exasperated sigh, "but we are going to keep it, and we are engaged."

Instead of the torrent of fury about throwing away my future that I had expected, they both just nodded at each other. "Now we don't approve particularly," Mum said as she gave a pointed look at where Fred held my hand in his own, "but we will support you." A nod was shared between the two adults in front of us.

The silence that followed was an odd combination of a relief from the previous topic and nerves at what someone might say next. "We haven't set a date yet, for the wedding." Words falling from my mouth, Mum cocking an eyebrow at me, daring me to say more on the matter. "Well I don't really want to get married looking like a whale, and we were engaged before the whole thing," somewhat disapproving expressions coated their faces, "So there isn't a need to rush so much."

"Thanks for telling me that," Fred whispered while squeezing my hand.

Ignoring him I continue, "and it's not like anyone is fussed about having children out of wedlock now, and we will get married, just not right now." Emphasising the will to try and sway them slightly, not that they were the epitome of all things right in society, and they couldn't very well force it either way.

After the visit clearly became more awkward than anyone present, I made an excuse to leave with Fred following behind me nervously, walking out the front door with farewells still being said, getting to the apparition point closest and collapsing onto the bed in front of me.

"Still could be worse?" Fred chuckled.


	23. Chapter 23

The early autumn chill crept through the jumper that hugged my now protruding stomach slightly to tightly for my liking, I wasn't even half way through the pregnancy and I was already startlingly uncomfortable. Since the attack on Fleur and Bill's wedding Fred was reluctant to say the least for me to go anywhere without him or someone else he knew with me, and had been trying to no avail to convince me to go and live with the newlyweds for my safety.

This meant that apart from members of the order, I barely saw anyone at all. Mrs Weasley had taken it upon herself to monitor every minor change that happened in my body, and control my food intake which was not pleasing little squid as Fred had begun calling our unborn child after seeing the ultrasound pictures that we had printed off and were now sitting on the bedside table. "Squid" had taken a liking to coffee which had earnt me a stern talking to from my future mother in law, and was forced to remove all caffeine from the flat which had not impressed its other residents.

Mum and Mrs Weasley had seemingly decided to alternate seeing me every single day, meaning I had to travel a significant amount to appease my mother, not that I didn't appreciate their care, simply put however I could go one day without their worrying and prodding. This would be Mrs Weasley's first grandchild, so she was making a point to knit as many items of baby clothing as was humanly possible as well as digging up old baby clothes that all of the Weasley boys had worn in infancy, despite all of my protesting she continued.

Today was my day to visit the burrow, and since Fred would be working I was to go via the floo network so that he could ensure my safe departure and know my destination. After a kiss goodbye I stepped through the green flames and stepped forward into the burrow, where I was greeted by Mrs Weasley as soon as I was out of the fireplace.

"Ah deary, how have you been? You've gotten bigger already, I was like that with Charlie as well, I don't quite know what it was but he was just a huge baby, same with Ronald, though it didn't show as much while I was pregnant with him." She was forever comparing my pregnancy with her own, and was convinced that it was a boy as so far she had found no similarities with her pregnancy with Ginny.

"I've been okay, still no more morning sickness so I think that portion has ended now," she nodded enthusiastically at that, the sickness having continued far past the normal point in all of her pregnancies and caused her to worry greatly over it. "I have been really uncomfortable though, specifically around my lower back." I point to the area as she moved up my jumper and pressed her warm hands into the small of my back.

"Well I'm sure that its perfectly normal," she pulled my clothing back down to cover my exposed back, it was abnormal for her not to find any similarities between her experiences and my own, but that wasn't the worst thing that could happen, as sometimes her stories tended to go into explicit details that I would much rather not hear. Listening to her discuss sex while pregnant would normally have been uncomfortable enough, had it not been for Ginny sitting opposite the table from me, apparently hearing about what you parents did before you were born left lasting discomfort in teenage girls. "Hot water bottles may be best for that, maybe a day of just resting would help a well."

"Will do," she seemed slightly uncomfortable, though wasn't discussing it so I didn't try.

"Oh dear I haven't told you," she seemed suddenly overly excited, "Dora just found out she's expecting a little one as well." Now distracted from whatever had been puzzling her before she went into great detail about it, making sure to emphasise that they had been married pre-pregnancy, and I pretended not to see the clear dig at my situation. After her talk progressed into he and Mr Weasley's wedding night I decided that I would head back to the flat before hearing more than I could bare, the lack of alcohol was something I could cope with, but I was now curious as to how much it would take for me to forget what I had heard.

Mrs Weasley bid farewell as I stepped back through the flames, welcoming the quiet of home. I sat down with a hot water bottle and a baby book and just read the day away.


	24. Chapter 24

We strolled down the eerily quiet Diagon Alley, Tonks and I had bonded in the weeks since I had been told about her pregnancy, and since she was a member of the order Fred seemingly had very little to fight our meetings over. Since I was a few months ahead of her and was showing now, we would talk about what we were each going through and laugh at our respective partners reactions.

"Have you started thinking about names yet?" she asked to fill the growing quiet between us following a discussion about Fred's tendency to worry.

"I have, though I haven't told Fred that because he would start giving stupid suggestions and I need to practice saying no to whatever atrocities he has planned." I chuckle with my hand resting below my protruding stomach. "And because I'm basing it entirely on the idea that it's going to be a boy and I haven't told him that either." My hand was now making small circles around where my belly button was.

"It's weird really," she stated. "A name is something that will define them for the rest of their lives and we pick it for them, and any time I think of it I just feel like I'm labelling this person I haven't even met yet." An exhausted sigh escaped her once she had spoken, her usually vibrant pink hair had faded to a more tired looking hue which made her seem older and seemed to draw back her features.

"Guess we'll just have to wait and see then won't we," I tried my best to give a reassuring smile though I wasn't entirely sure how it came across.

"Any particular name you were thinking of?"

"Oliver." A smile crept onto my lips, now staring down at my stomach, "I don't know, it just feels like he's an Oliver."

"I like it." The statement seemed to ease me a touch, though I wasn't quite sure what I had to be nervous about.

It was then that I saw a spark of red light fly into me a second too late, and my whole world went black.


	25. Chapter 25

Splitting pains spread throughout my body as I dawned on consciousness, I felt uneasy. There was yelling nearby, but there were no distinguishable words reaching me, as though I was sat in a bubble. As I started to move the voices stopped yelling, noticing my movements as I opened my eyes to reveal that I was in Fred's bed in his old room at the burrow, though it was dark so someone had either closed the curtains or it was night, the later would mean that I had been unconscious for at least 10hours and was not preferred. Unable to sit up, I simply waited for someone to come and help me, that someone happened to be Tonks; propped up against a pile of pillows, I was able to see everyone in the room. When I noticed that Fred was not among them I felt like a small part of me was missing, and when I saw the looks on everyone's faces I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, they all looked as though there was some great burden was pressing down on them.

Mrs Weasley cleared her throat as though to say something but seemed to lose the words and the room fell into a deeply unsettling silence, George sat on his bed on the other side of the room looking far too uncomfortable for someone to think that he had slept in it for nearly all of his life, digging his feet into the floor. While Angelina perched awkwardly at the end of the bed I was in, staring at me as though I was a strange caged animal that might lash out at any moment, no one else made an attempt to talk, leaving the silence to boil the room into a dangerous stalemate.

When the silence finally became too much for me to handle, which was a fair few minutes, I spoke up with a voice that was far quieter than I had meant for it to be. "What happened?" sounding like a small child rather than someone nearly twenty years old.

It was Tonks that spoke, "Death Eaters," her voice softer than I think I had ever heard it. "They attacked us, we think it was just random that they hit there since there wasn't really anyone they might want to target there. They just wanted to terrorise people." Her tone was laced with anger and sadness, yet she continued, "I apparated us to the first place that I could think of, which was here." I could tell by how she ended it that there was more, and that she was not going to be the one to share it with me.

George was the next to speak, "Freddie knows that you are here, he just had to leave for a little while, he should be back soon enough," trying to comfort me though I could sense that something was being withheld from me once again, they were all skirting around something that I wasn't aware of yet.

Mrs Weasley came over to me and crouched by the bed, holding my hand within both of hers and rubbing small circles with her thumbs. "Darling the spell that hit you caused a lot of internal damage," seemingly checking my reaction after that small amount of information, after only seeing confusion she continued. "We managed to stop most of the bleeding but," she then placed my hand onto my stomach, which I noticed was flatter than I had last remembered.

The realisation hit me, and a hollow feeling swelled in my chest, I could see that they were all waiting for me to cry, or react at all. But instead I just sat there with my hand on my empty belly, now completely numb, I wanted to cry, I wanted to feel anything but the dull ache that had so quickly taken up residence inside me.

"Oh."

That was all I said, a small acknowledgement of the bomb that had just been dropped in the now too small room, enough for them to know that I now knew what they had all known sitting around me. The silence drooped over the room again, I felt Mrs Weasley's hands drift away from me and was aware of people leaving the room until only George was left. Fred wasn't here. He was going to cope however he must and that would not involve me.

I felt the bed dip as a body pulled me against it, George, he was here. He held me for what seemed like hours, stroking my hair with his arm around me, I still didn't cry.

How could I? I would be crying for what never was.


	26. Chapter 26

Mrs Weasley told my parents, my mum wanted me to come back to live with her. But I still hadn't left the burrow, and the only time I even left Fred's old room was to use the bathroom just across the hall. I hadn't seen Fred either, I refused to see him. I didn't want to look at him and know that I had taken one of the few precious specks of hope he was clinging to, I couldn't bear to see disappointment on his face that used to light up every time he saw me. Every time he saw the bump.

So I stayed locked in the room, Mrs Weasley force feeding me meals and George coming to keep me company, never once mentioning what had happened and making me nearly forget. Nearly.

After over a week it was my sister who came to shake me from my stupor, yelling that I wasn't going to bloody well waste away, that I still had people who cared for me, and that staying in a stuffy room was doing nothing to help; I sat and cried into her for I don't know how long, crying all of the pent up tears that had sat in my chest since I don't even know when. Well before anything had happened. Crying for hours and hours until I fell asleep, clawing at the damp sheets that hung limply around my body.

The following days were no easier, my body didn't feel right and eating felt as though it was pushing on the empty space; after a week of wandering around the room without anyone visiting other than Mrs Weasley, George and my sister, I decided that I should see Fred. He didn't seem to take much convincing and was in the room only twenty minutes after I had told Mrs Weasley that I would be up to seeing him, careful only to say this after I had showered and changed into a clean set of clothing, some that wouldn't hug tight to my body which was still in pain.

He stood three feet away from me, not sure how to react at first. We hadn't seen each other in nearly three weeks and it was a strange sensation, he seemed scared that I would break at his slightest misstep. We stood opposite one another in tense silence before he carefully stepped towards me, stretching his hand up towards my face, as soon as I felt his hand against me I fell towards him, wrapping myself in his tight embrace.

Standing in the embrace as we both wept quiet tears, shaking against him as I soaked through his shirt, his tears falling on top of my head, I felt myself relax completely against him, feeling more at home than I had done alone in his room. Crying for the loss that the outside world would never feel like we did, crying for the person that would never get to be because of the war that loomed above us, and crying because we could never meet the person that they could have become.


	27. Chapter 27

Christmas came and went, not the same jolly occasion that we had grown accustomed to at the burrow, and my parents had sent presents by mail to us as I still couldn't bring myself to face them. No longer feeling the same physical pain that I had before, my heart still ached for my little boy. I knew that mine was not the worst pain the war had inflicted, but that didn't help the ache in my chest.

There was a significantly lower number of people present than there had been last year, Bill and Fleur were at their home, Ron, Harry and Hermione were somewhere we weren't allowed to know, Ginny had stayed at school to try and help deal with the state of the school and protect the younger students. Percy was not present, though no one particularly payed attention to that, and Charlie had elected to stay in Romania, as it was seemingly safer surrounded by dragons than in the country at all.

The lack of people however didn't stop Mrs Weasley from knitting a jumper for everyone, and making enough food to feed everyone at Hogwarts, which wasn't nearly as many as it had been in previous years because lots of people had left after Snape became Headmaster. Mrs Weasley had hidden away all of the baby clothes she had been making, I know that it had hurt her to go through everything she had only to have it ripped away, even if she weren't the baby's mother. Any talk of the wedding had ceased almost entirely, everyone instead focusing on the war ahead which no one could ignore any longer. It was coming and nothing could stop it.


	28. Chapter 28

April 1998, Teddy Lupin is born. Tonks kept insisting that I visit them, I did around a week later. He was adorable, with eyes that flickered different colours in time with his hair. I don't think that I had ever seen a couple so happy, they were all teethy smiles and baby voices; to say it didn't break my heart a little when I looked at him would be a lie, it shattered. A million tiny shards that stopped my heart mid beat, but it helped at the same time. Helped me seeing it wasn't all bad I guess.

When the tiny baby changed his hair colour ginger that didn't help me much, the little baby didn't know, and he probably never would. In some weird way that helped.


	29. Chapter 29

Hogwarts stood tall on the horizon, a single speck of resilience against the broad horizon. Swarms of Death Eaters covering miles ahead of the castle, all people gathered to watch the great walls fall and even help it happen. People who had been within the halls, who had lived there for years and spent their childhood in the classrooms, all seeking the place broken into nothingness.

As they began to fight through the halls, spells flying all directions, people on both sides began to fall. Bodies dropping to the hard stone floors, bodies flying into the ancient walls, bodies falling out of the windows of floors so high you couldn't even see them land. Flashes of green hitting students square in the chest. Ringing hung in my ears, drowning out the words being screamed from every direction; smoke clinging to every inch of my body, stabbing at my eyes making them cloud with tears. Every time I saw a body with ginger hair made my heart leap to my throat, but it wasn't him, it couldn't be. I could feel it. He was still out there.

I saw him after what felt like forever. Fred was stood on the other side of the hall, flinging spells with such violence it was scary even to someone who knew him. I began trying to get closer to him, a pull almost like gravity pulling me closer to him. Percy's voice sounded with words that I couldn't hear as I got ever closer, Fred's laugh echoing from him, a laugh that couldn't help but draw a smile from me as I heard it, only he could find something to laugh at in the middle of a battle, it cut off.

I was 2 feet away from him.

The wall engulfed him.

A moment later I was crushed alongside him.

Hands reaching towards where I had last seen him.

His heart beating in time with my own.

Slowing.

Slower.

Stopped.


	30. Chapter 30

A bright splash of light surrounded me. I was standing somewhere I didn't know, but I felt safe. I felt as though I was wrapped in a blanket beside a fireplace in the middle of winter, cosy and safe. So safe.

I found Fred holding my hand beside me, seemingly as confused as I was, but seemingly as comfortable as well. Tears began to drip from my eyes, we hadn't made it. We hadn't made it to the end, but we were together. His arms wrapped around me as we stood and sobbed, they would have to mourn us, they would have to have a funeral.

A small hand tugged on my jumper, a tiny redhead attached to it. "Mummy, I've been waiting for you to get here," big doe eyes stared at me, my eyes. "I love you." Arms wrapping my waist tightly as the child buried his head in my stomach.

"Oliver?"


End file.
